Candlemaking apparatus



Allg 4, 1953 c. J. scHRoEDER 2,647,279I

CANDLE MAKING APPARATUS- Filed June 30, 1950 iiga [I-Q@ /4'2 /42lINVENTOR /47 Carl J. .Sc/meder- B .M a@

lllll Patented Aug. 4, 1953 CANDLEMAKING APPARATUS Carl J. Schroeder,Hammond, Ind., assigner to Standard Oil Company, Chicago, Ill.,.acorporation of Indiana Original application June 30, 1950, Serial No.

1959, Serial No. 171,420

3 Claims.

This invention relates to candle making apparatus and it pertains moreparticularly tok an improved method and means for making dipped candles.

In making dipped candles heretofore, it has been the practice to attacha number of wicks by means of individual springloaded clamps to a rackand lower them manually into a bath of molten wax. The wax for thispurpose is usually parairi that has been modified with stearic acid,dye, etc. The wicks' and the adhering wax are withdrawn from the bathand cooled until the wax layer has solidified. In this operation acertain amount of tangling occurs which must be corrected byv thehandworlr of the operator. The dipping operation is repeated until thedesired diameter of the candle body is obtained. Normally partial dipsare necessary in order to obtain the desired taper of the candle body.The number of layers of wax may vary between 15 and 30 depending on thetemperature of the molten wax, the air temperature in the dipping roomand the desired diameter of the candle. The candles are usually meltedto proper length on a hot plate andl the butts are shaped to rltastandard candle holder. Usually the candle is' given a nishng dip in ahigher melting wax in order to obtain a more pleasing surface appearanceand to improve the burning qualities by giving a non-drip effect. Ifdesi-'red the candle can be given a surface color dilerlent' from thecore color by a nish dip in wax that has been dyed the desired color.4

A specific. object of the invention is. to provide an improved devicefor forming a tapered butt on. candles.

Other objects of the invention will become' apparent from the followingdetailed' description of a specific example. thereof.

A clearer understanding of the invention and the various featuresthereof. will be gained from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated apreferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings, wherein similar parts are designated by like referencecharacters throughout the several views,l

Figure I is a plan View of a portion of the guide plate. of the candlebutt forming machine.

Figure II' i's a plan View of a' portion of' the mold plate of the buttforming machine.

Figure Ill is an elevational view through a section of the butt formingmachine showing the guide plate, the mold plate, the carrier, theheating elements and the molten wax drain.

Divided and this application June 30,

A preferred embodiment of. my improved butt tapering machine comprises.a carrier |45 see Figs. I and III) which is made of metal that has ahigh heat conductivity, and is not corroded by stearic acid, such as,Carrier Mil is provided with thermostatically controlled heatm ing'means; the preferred heating means, elec' trical resistance elements|42, are illustrated. Although steam or hot water may' be used forheating purposes electrical heating provides more accurate control oftemperature, permits wide and rapid variation in the heat input andper-Y mits a simpler' construction of the carrier.

Mold plate |43 which is made of metal, such` as aluminum, is providedwith. holes Mt which are in the form oi'- a frustrum of a cone, i. e.the shape of the socket of a candle holder. mold holes |44 arebottomless (openb'ottomed) soI that no obstruction occurs to the rapid1removal of the molten wax as the candle butt is lowered into the hotmold hole as happensi when a perforated bottom exists in the mold hole.The upper surface o1' the heating element com taining carrier |40 isprovided with. serrations forming interconnected channels |46 which.carry the molten wax' away to the drain Ml. The raised portions |248 ofthe serrati-ons support the mold plate |43. The supporting ridges M8 andthe mold plate l'ware' held together tightly' by screws |49 in order toinsure good heat transfer from' they not carrier mi to the mold plate|43; Spacing mem-bersv |3541 preferably made of low heat conductivitymaterial, support above the mold plate |43 a guide plate |54 whichismade of material having a low co'eilicient of heat translfer.Particularly good results were obtained when the guide plate was madefrom a Philippine mahogany plywood sheet 1%. inches thick that had beensaturated with. molten'. par'a'in wax. However, the guide plate" may ben'ia'd'e' of any material that is a poor heat conductor and that'- canbe molded or worked readily, for example, Bakelite or asbestos cement.

The guide plate |54 is provided' with` holes" |55 which are. made in. aninverted bell shape. These" holes |55 equal in number the' inol'd holesME and" are placed directly above and on the same ver-fl tical axis asthe corresponding mold' hole; The numberv ofV moldv holes and guideholes normally will. bevthe same as the maximum number df' candlescarried by the dipping rack'. The guide holes |55 are shaped to curvegradually from a diameter, at the mouth of the bell |56, that issubstantially greater than the butt end of the candle to a diameter, atthe throat of the hole,

I5? that is just perceptibly larger than the butt end of the candle. Thethickness of the guide plate is such that the candle is supportedvertically in the guide hole for a substantial portion of the thicknessof the guide plate; this supporting height must begreat enough that nomarring of the surface of the candle occurs when the candle touches aportion of the guide hole during the butt forming operation. The mouth|50 of the guide hole must be large enough to permit the entrance of thecandle even when the candle is swinging somewhat from the vibration ofthe carriage as it comes to rest above the butt tapering machine; about11/2 times the butt diameter is a satisfactory mouth diameter. The guideplate must be thick enough to provide a slope of the guide hole thatwill permit the edge of the butt to pass into the throat quickly andwithout deformation; the guide plate thickness should be between 11/2 to21/2 times the butt diameter for good results.

The advantages of this type of guide plate are that the candle is notdeformed or marred by the guide plate because this is relatively cool asa result of its low heat conductivity; the smooth surface of the guideholes and steep angle of the sides of the hole directs the candle end tothe mold hole without marring the surface of the candle; the thick platepermits the candle to be supported vertically in the mold hole andproduces a'uniformly tapered end. These advantages increase theproduction rate and decrease the number of candles that must be rejectedbecause of defects.

The carriage holding the candles which have been cut or melted to theproperlength, so as to leave a substantially flat butt end, ispositioned directly over the butt tapering machine 32. The butt taperingmachine is mounted on a vertically movable platform, not shown, whichmay be adjustably raised to any elevation dictated by the candle lengthbeing processed. When the carriage is directly over the taperingmachine, the operator elevates the platform; as the platform mountsupward the guide holes 55 direct the candle butts |60 into the taperingmolds U34 and hold the candle vertically until the butt taper has beencompleted. The molten wax passes through the bottom of the mold hole IMto theY drain |41 and is recovered elsewhere. When the butt has beentapered to standard size, the machine is lowered and the shaped candlesll are ready for the finishing dip.

While I have described a preferred embodi ment of my invention, manymodifications and alternative arrangements and procedures will beapparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. l

This application is a division of my copending application Serial Number171,419, filed June 30, 1950, and entitled Candle Making Apparatus.

I claim:

l. A candle butt forming device which comprises a carrier, conduit meansfor removing molten wax from said carrier, a moldplate supported by saidcarrier. in spaced relation to the upper surface of the carrier therebyproviding drainage channels between the moldplate and the carrier, saidcarrier and said moldplate being made of a metal having a high heatconductivity,

which moldplate is provided with bottomless moldholes, the axis of saidmoldholes being perpendicular to said moldplate, said moldholesconsisting only of tapered sidewalls shaped so as to form a candle buttto iit the socket of a candleholder, means for heating said carrier andsaid moldplate to a` temperature above the 'melting point of candle wax,a guideplate in vertically spaced, parallel relation above saidmoldplate, said vertical space being less than the length of the candlewhose butt is to be formed, which guideplate is provided withguideholes, which guideholes are coaxially arranged over said moldholesand which guideholes are curvilinearly tapered from a diameter at theend at which the candle butt enters of about 1.5 times the candle buttdiameter to a sliding t, and the vertical height of said guideholes isbetween about 1.5 and 2.5 times the candle butt diameter, wherebi7 theaxis of the candle whose butt is being formed is maintained coincidentwith the axis of said moldhole and said guidehole, and-said guideplatehaving a heat conductivity approximatingthat of wood.

2. The device of claim l wherein said heating means are thermostaticallycontrolledelectrical resistance elements.

3. A candle butt forming device which comprises a carrier, conduit meansfor removing molten Wax from said carrier, a moldplate supported by saidcarrier in spaced relation to the upper surface of the carrier therebyproviding drainage channels between the moldplate and the carrier, saidcarrier and said moldplate being made of a metal having a high heatconductivity,

which moldplate is provided with moldholes, the

axis of said moldholes being perpendicular to said moldplate, saidmoldholes being shaped so as to form a candle butt to fit the socket ofa candle holder, wherein the lower end of said moldhole consists of asingle opening coextensive with the bottom surface of the formed candlebutt, means for heating said carrier and said moldplate to a temperatureabove the melting point of candle wax, a guideplate in verticallyspaced, parallel relation above said moldplate, said vertical spacebeing less than the length of the candle Whose butt is to be formed,which guideplate is provided with guideholes, which guidehcles arecoaxially arranged over said moldholes and which guidelioles are aninverted bell shape in cross section tapering from a mouth diameter ofabout 1.5 times the candle butt diameter to a sliding nt at the throat,and 4with a height between about 1.5 and 2.5 times the candle buttdiameter, whereby the axis of the candle Whose butt is being formed ismaintained coincident with the axis of said moldhole and said guidehole,and said guideplate having a heat conductivity approximating that ofWood.

CARL J. SCHROEDER.

i References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 1,993,709 Chamberlain Mar. 5, 1935 2,478,202 Moore Aug.9, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS y Number Country Date 22,819 Great Britain Sept.29, 1900 had"

